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John Baker (c1592-1670)
}} "The 'Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire', by Sibil Noyes, Charles Thornton Libby and Walter Goodwin Davis, shows Richard Nason, Kittery, had 200 acres at Pipe Stave Landing. His first wife, Sarah, may have been the daughter of John Baker who was fined in 1645 for beating Richard Nason black and blue et.. "Old Kittery and Her Families" by Everett S. Stackpole, 1903, shows In 1645 John Baker was presented at Court in New Hampshire "for beating Richard Nason that he was black and blue and for throwing a fire shovel at his wife". Baker was fined five shillings. The name of Richard Nason's first wife was Sarah, and the fact that she has children named John and Baker, as well as the incident above mentioned, suggests that she was of the Baker family." "FTM CD523, ME & NH Settlers, Hist. of York, Maine, Vol. I, The Pioneers of York by Charles Edward Banks, 1967, pg 109, 110: (9722) JOHN BAKER "That this individual was a resident of this town as early as 1639 is capable of proof, but there is no evidence in the land records that he owned a house or lot here. He was of that class of undesirable citizens emigrating to New England, under the prospect of enjoying a religious "freedom" for his whimsies; and settling in Boston, soon run amuck with the prelatical rulers who had no "freedom" for the kind of religion which he professed. It seems that he had an itch for haranguing and "prophesying" in public, whatever that may mean, which was, of course, at once prohibited. What little we know about him is told in Winthrop's "Journal," to which a guarded credence must be given, owing to the habit of this writer to distort facts about persons who differed from him in his church doctrines. He says of Baker: "'A member of the church of Boston, removed from thence to Newbury (1638), for enlargement of his outward accommodation, being grown wealthy from nothing, grew very disordered, fell into drunkenness and such violent contention with another brother, maintaining the same by lying, and other evil courses, that the magistrates sent to have him apprehended. But he rescued himself out of the officers' hands and removed to Accomenticus York (1639) where he continued near two years.' While here in 1640 he served on a jury engaged in a law-suit, and represented Agamenticus at the Provincial Court. The next year he returned to Boston. Winthrop adds: "'He humbled himself before the church confessing all his wickedness, with many tears. (Journal ii, 20.)' He was thereupon readmitted to the church there March 26, 1642, and became a freeman of that colony in May of same year. Four years later he returned here with a letter of dismissal from the church in Boston to the church in Gorgeana, dated Sept. 6, 1646, during the pastorate of Mr. Hull. This wandering religious fanatic continued to stir up trouble as usual and Godfrey, in later years, mentioned him as one of the disturbers of the peace, "who to avoyd their principles fly heether for shelter." Like a shuttlecock he moved hence to Dover, 1648-9, falling into mischief there, and is next found in Wells 1653, where he took the oath of submission to the Massachusetts government that year. Shortly after he was reported for preaching and "prophesying" and publicly abusing the ministry. This is the last record of this man in Maine and occupies more space than his importance warrants, but is related as an example of the incorrigible nuisances who flocked over here during the Puritan regime, a by-product of their propaganda. He returned to Boston where he found spiritual refuge in the First Church of that town, but he did not last long there. He was expelled for "blasphemy and atheism" and banished from the colony (Dom. S. P. Charles ii, lxv, 10). On returning to England he became a halberdier in Cromwell's Horse Guard and later in the king's service, but could not keep out of trouble. In Dec. 1662 he was arrested for participation in a plot devised by religious fanatics to overthrow the monarchy. It was testified that he was a "blasphemer, atheist, liar and profane person and could find it in his heart to wash his hands in the King's blood." He was tried and convicted of treason. Rev. William Hooke, formerly of New Haven, in a letter dated March 23, 1663 tells how "John Baker, sometime a planter in New England, has his part in trepanning men into treason and then informing against them; he lyeth now in Newgate." (ibid. lxix, 5) He was esecuted at Tyburn (Hubbard, Hist. of New England 410), being the second one connected with the early history of York to suffer this penalty after returning to London, Thomas Venner being the other. " http://www.pcez.com/~bigshoe/du/Swai/follett.html